French jewelry designer Shourouk at La Boutique tonight

Shourouk Rhaiem may not be a household name just yet, but at age 30 she has already racked up serious fashion cred having worked as a textile designer for such major fashion houses as Chloe, John Galliano, and Roberto Cavalli. It was her eye for detail and her obsession with accessories that lead her to leave her job at Cavalli in Florence more than three years ago and move back to her native Paris, where she launched her namesake line of edgy statement jewelry.

Her bold, playful pieces, which have been spotted on trendsetting celebs Sarah Jessica Parker and Lady Gaga, are handcrafted by mixing the refined with the unrefined. (A bib necklace, for instance, combines Swarovski crystals, brass chains, and rubber electrical tubing.) Tonight, on her first visit to San Francisco, Rhaiem plays host at La Boutique, where she’ll give partygoers a glimpse into her Marais atelier and unveil her nature-inspired Vamperisa spring/summer 2011 collection.

Nerissa Pacio Itchon

Q: What led you from textile design to jewelry and accessory design?

A: It was very simple. When I was developing something, I thought it would be nice to have it as a necklace instead of an embroidery. My love for embroidery comes from my childhood because I’m originally from Tunisia. In Tunisia, we have a kind of embroidery that is made from silver sequins. The work is really beautiful. … This was my concept when I was working at Cavalli and Chloe. I thought it’s cool to have beautiful embroidery with crystals, very rich, and put it on a simple T-shirt from H&M. It makes it less dramatic. I don’t like things when they are too elegant or refined. Too pretty. Or everything is perfect, your hair, your dress, your shoes. I like when there’s something simple on a silhouette. I love jewelry but paired with something simple.

Nerissa Pacio Itchon

Q: What’s your design process like?

A: I try to do mini embroideries and try to have a few ideas of color, beads, crystals, or try to do something more graphic. Then when I have all these small embroideries, I place them together and place and place and place them until I’m happy and I like the colors. I always start with little things. I like to have little jewelry on the jewelry and to make a story.

Q: What was the most unusual thing that inspired a collection?

A: For me there’s no such thing as “unusual.” In fashion, you always have to find new ideas. I learn that you can use everything you want. Nothing is unexpected. Everything is possible. Mixing wood with crystal. For me you can use everything. Jewelry or fashion– it’s not just fabric. It could be so many things. Sometimes you see things in the details of electricity that are so pretty.

Nerissa Pacio Itchon

Q: How does your ethnic Tunisian background influence your design?

A: When I was a little girl, we’d go to Tunisia on holiday. Women would go together to the hammam and women were always together, doing their makeup, hair, shoes, sewing. So that’s why I was attracted to fashion. Nobody was in fashion. But they spoke fashion all day.

Nerissa Pacio Itchon

Q: What do you do when you are creatively blocked?

A: I stop everything. I go walk. I go to the museum, the Pompidou. I go to the cinema. I listen to music, and I dance to forget about everything.

Q: You’ve designed jewelry in collaboration for the runway with Jean Paul Gaultier. Any other designers you’ve dreamed of collaborating with?

A: I love Marc Jacobs. And Miuccia Prada. I have a dream to customize the 2.55 Chanel bag. I would love to get one and put crystals and flowers all over it!

Nerissa Pacio Itchon

Q: Recently Lady Gaga requested one of your gothic-looking black crystal tiaras and you have a lot of headpieces in your collections. Why the love of tiaras?

A: I think there is that fairytale element. Since I was a little child, I remember all the princesses having a tiara. Also Frida Kahlo is a big influence, and the flowers in her hair. But also if you look at ethnic fashions, you’ll see that the Japanese geisha have the flowers and jewelry on the head. There’s also the Chinese, they have the beautiful tiaras with flowers and things in their hair. Also in Indian culture. And Russians. In all these countries, there’s always something ornamental for the hair. I travel a lot, and am very attracted to the ethnic costumes. I try to go to the museum to study the clothes of everywhere I go, and you’ll see the tiaras in each country.

Q: Do you collect anything?

A: I like to collect old stones and old sequins from the 1930s. I love to collect miniaudiere (small cosmetic clutches) and there’s a special place for your lipstick and your makeup brushes. Also something I collect and love and spend a lot of money on is fans.

Q: What’s your best-kept French beauty secret?

A: I think my beauty secret is lipstick. Red, red lipstick. I also have my mother’s beauty secret for the hair. She mixes honey, avocado, and olive oil. After, you smell like salad, but it’s very good for your hair. Also, for me beauty is to be smiling all the time and to have a good sense of humor.